The Song of The Sea

The song of the sea was one that Calypso had learned to cherish throughout her life. The crashing waves served as a lullaby on nights she lay awake, while the softer sounds of still water, at times when it was just loud enough to sync with her breath, provided her with a certain peace that she could not put into words. The babble of the sea reminded Calypso how much existed beyond the comforts of her home, waiting to be explored by the one most courageous to take that leap.

The song of the sea reminded Calypso of her love: Theodosia.

Theodosia was an angel sent from the Heavens above, a reward Calypso did not believe she was worthy enough to receive; there was never a moment where she did not worship the ground her lover walked on, feeling blessed to breathe the same air as the wonder she was. Calypso loved Theodosia, and while Theodosia loved Calypso, that love was shared with the sea, and if her heart was entranced by the beauty of the sea, so was Calypso’s. 

Theodosia often was out on her ship, letting the waves guide her journey to wherever they wished to carry her. She was as restless as the waters, and it was the place where she truly felt herself. Sometimes it was only for a few hours, while other times Theodosia spent days or a week sailing to untraversed coves and caves and discovering what lay within. No matter how long she was away, she always returned with jewels and gold and treasure that gleamed like the sun for her love, who never failed to sweep her up the moment her feet reached land again.

Well, at least, she usually returned. 

One morning as Calypso’s eyes opened at the sun’s glow, she found Theodosia seated across the room at her desk. She couldn’t stop the smile that overtook her lips when she watched her lover scour over mounds of maps strewn about, a compass and quill in Theodosia’s hand as she marked what would be her next voyage. Calypso held a soft spot for the need for adventure that ran through Theodosia’s veins, but this time as Theodosia eagerly grabbed her love’s hands and pulled her up from bed, mouth running a mile a minute while relaying her upcoming plans, Calypso felt dread settle in her stomach. 

The route Theodosia had decided on led to a cove nearly three days out, the only issue being anyone who ventured never returned home. 

She pleaded with Theodosia to rethink her choices and made every argument as to why this was a horrible idea, but each new reason only made the explorer more impatient to see what waited behind the fog said to be “as thick as blood.” Calypso tried, but she was no match for her girlfriend’s hope of being the sole person to see what was hidden in the wonders of Skull Moon Cove. She tried every moment of every day up to when Theodosia planted her lips on Calypso’s crown of chestnut curls and said goodbye before sailing off. 

Theodosia had promised her return within ten days, and she remained true to her word without fail every time she set out. So, when she failed to come home after two weeks had passed, Calypso knew something was amiss. 

The whole town begged Calypso not to set out at sea in search of her lover, but the words went in one ear and out the other. She was blinded by determination, though consumed by horror at what could be found as a result of her efforts. No matter who asked her to stay, to wait and accept that Theodosia may never be seen again in this life, Calypso answered the same: 

“The ache in my chest will not cease unless my Theodosia is found and once more in the safety of my arms; our souls are intertwined, I shall not breathe until I hear the sweetness of her voice gracing my ears.”

And so, despite every protest, Calypso boarded her ship on the fifteenth morning, a replica of Theodosia’s map clutched in hand, and greeted the deep waters with open arms. The path was clearly outlined, and Calypso may not have been the skilled sailor her Theo was, but she could still manage to get to her destination without many issues. She sailed starting at the first glimpse of sunlight and only would rest when her body ached to the point of falling asleep with her chin on the wheel.

After fifty-three excruciating hours, Calypso saw the beginning of Skull Moon’s notorious murky fog. Caution and hope battled in her mind: on one hand, she would certainly find Theodosia and bring her home unharmed, and on the other, what guaranteed her to be the first person able to leave the cove alive? 

She was exhausted. Her body was too heavy to hold up, she could count the hours she had slept during this trip on one hand, her stomach was tearing itself apart with hunger, and she was falling piece by piece. If Calypso didn’t die from Theodosia’s loss, she would surely die from her lack of self-care. She wasn’t sure what was reality anymore, everything blurring together and seeming familiar, but she refused to throw in the towel. Theodosia would go to the ends of the Earth for her, and Calypso would do the same in a heartbeat.

The fog engulfed the girl to the point where she could not see five feet from her face. She had no idea where she was steering the ship, and she knew that aimlessly sailing through these conditions was not going to end well. In truth, Calypso was terrified; not a single soul knew what was hidden here and survived to tell the tale, and the fog only masked potential dangers that lurked behind every corner. 

The air was deadly silent, only the rolling of waves crashing against the ship’s side could be heard. Calypso was unsure of how long she had been weaving through the fog, but soon, a voice echoed from all around. It was too far away to pinpoint what the voice was saying and where it was coming from, but it was there. Maybe it was Theodosia, stranded and scared and awaiting rescue. Maybe it was a stranger, someone who may have come in contact with the sailor when she passed through. 

As the ship glided across the water, the ripples grew larger and the fog grew thicker, and the voice became louder. Calypso recognized the voice somehow, her mind entranced by the noise. It was a few moments before she could process that she was listening to a song– and not just any song, a song that Calypso knew like the back of her hand.

“My sun, my stars, my moon, my light,”

That voice, that voice; she had heard it before. On sleepless nights in the warmth of their bed, on gentle mornings when the sun kissed their relaxed faces, and on afternoons when their toes curled into the comfort of the sand at the border of town. She heard it every day, aloud and in the back of her head, giving her the strength to carry on.

Theodosia.

“Theo?” Calypso called into the void, heart racing, and hands trembling. Had she found her? Was she okay? Her stomach coiled itself into knots just thinking about what this meant, knowing she would easily prove everyone wrong when she and Theodosia returned home together. 

Her eyes frantically searched everywhere for the source, attempting to find any kind of outline or shadow that would hint at Theodosia’s location, but Calypso could barely see her hands, let alone another person off in the distance. “Theo, I… I hear you! I can hear you, my love, I can hear you!” Her voice cracked with emotion, unable to hold back the laugh that escaped her lips as they formed a smile, tears welling up in her eyes. Her cheers were short-lived as before she could shout anything else, the singing carried on, seeming closer than before.

“My sun, my stars, my moon, my light

When I hold you, the world’s in my arms.

You’re my sole hope in the darkest night,

Defending ourselves from the world’s great harms.

My sweet, my love, my darling, my beau

You’re my everything, always, Calypso.”

She was here; Theodosia was here and she was alive and she was safe! She was living and breathing and singing the most beautiful song to be written– the song that had been created just for Calypso’s ears. 

Calypso no longer processed the string of screams that burned her throat, one right after the other in a desperate attempt for Theodosia to hear her, wherever she may be. She cried and screamed and called until there was nothing left, and even after her breaking point, Calypso refused to let up. She would not accept a world where she lived without Theodosia, especially when she was just out of reach.

Suddenly, through the haze, Calypso spotted something off to the right. It was short, dark in color, and seemed to move synchronously with the repeating song, as if swaying to the melody. Lo and behold, Theodosia’s silhouette appeared like a beam from a lighthouse, and Calypso had never been so grateful to the forces above. She had found her love, and their souls could rest together once more. 

“Theodosia! Theodosia, I’m here, please!” Her voice was shrill as she continued to grasp for her love’s attention to no avail, Theodosia’s only response being to continue as she was, almost as if Calypso was not there. Surely she had to have heard her by now, there was no way she had not. At this point, even the merciless wind and waves were no match for her screams. “Please, Theodosia, can you not hear me?”

By the time Calypso realized the course she was sailing ended with smashing into a mountain of rocks hidden by the heavy mist, it was too late. Her voice was gone, the sounds of Mother Nature overpowering anything that left her lips. Her body was weak from lack of fuel and maintenance, whilst her mind was distorted beyond recognition. When taking everything into account, Calypso was gone before she even neared the stones. 

The grief from Theodosia’s disappearance clouded all sanity that Calypso held. Amidst the chaos of the voyage, she failed to understand a few crucial details: that was never Theodosia’s voice, nor was that Theodosia she saw.

The story of sirens was well known in any town within a hundred miles of Calypso and Theodosia’s home. People of all ages sat and listened to the tales about creatures with unmatched beauty and a song that could send anyone to their tomb. Most sailors knew where to avoid these beings, heeding warnings from those who had made it back unscathed only to perish hours later in their dwellings, although, with Theodosia’s chosen area of exploration being the final resting place of dozens of sailors, neither one of them could have known the towering number of sirens that called Skull Moon Cove their home. 

The sirens had first lured Theodosia with their song in the middle of a storm, which only diminished her hypothetical chances of escape. With tsunami-like conditions surrounding her from all sides, there was nowhere for Theodosia to turn but towards the inevitable, although, unlike her lover, she realized whose song this truly was.

When the time came for Calypso to meet death’s lullaby, she was on the other end of the spectrum. The sirens knew what she had come for, so manipulating Theodosia’s voice was only the first step. Sirens were notorious for their irresistible songs, playing on whatever their victim desired most; so, when Calypso’s heart longed to hear Theodosia’s sweet words just one more time, it was easy for the sirens to use that to their advantage.

The hallucinations, though, were all Calypso’s doing. Turns out that when you refuse to sleep, eat, drink, or even sit down for three days, it takes a toll on a person. The steady decline in her mentality gave way to the false visions created by her mind, the ones she had been so sure were as genuine as she believed the song to be.

Now, resting at the bottom of the sea, a simple ring rusted among the sand; the ring once perfectly created for the finger of a sailor who had risked a little too much, a sailor who gave her whole world to the girl she sang about day after day. Calypso always remarked how her Theodosia was an angel sent from the Heavens above, and now, Theodosia was returned to her supposed birthplace, and Calypso was finally joined at her side. 

The song of the sea was one that Calypso had learned to cherish throughout her life. The crashing waves served as a lullaby on nights she lay awake, while the softer sounds of still water, at times when it was just loud enough to sync with her breath, provided her with a certain peace that she could not put into words. The song of the sea reminded Calypso of her love, Theodosia. With matching pearly wings to sport– a parting gift from the sirens– the song of the sea both took Calypso away from her love and reunited them at the end of it all.